Umpiring cricket matches has become increasingly difficult because of the technology now monitoring play, according to former top match official Simon Taufel.

With dozens of cameras and other technology ready to expose mistakes, the pressure is on the officials who make the crucial calls, said the 48-year-old Australian.

“It can be extremely challenging obviously, if it would be easy everyone would be doing it. It's all about learning through mistakes,” Taufel told AFP in an interview.

Players can challenge umpires' calls using the Decision Review System, which employs slow-motion replays, ball-tracking technology, audio sensors -- the ‘Snickometer’ -- and even heat-sensing, known as Hot Spot, to check whether the ball hit the bat.

Cricket's embrace of technology has been echoed by other sports including tennis, rugby and football, where match officials have also found themselves under growing scrutiny.

“When you compete with those 30-odd cameras, the ball-tracker, Snicko, Hot Spot, the three experts in the commentary position, there are times when you don't deliver perfection,” said Taufel, who stood in his first Test when he was only 29.

“But that's part of life. Roger Federer loses the odd match, Tiger Woods misses the odd fairway, these things do happen but if you have paid the price you might as well get the learning and benefit out of it.”